Bridging ‘evident gender gap’ in leadership: Experts in Singapore urge women to dig into life purpose, step up and be ‘shameless’

By end-2025, Singapore expects to see 25 per cent of women on the boards of its top 100 listed companies and 30 per cent “ASAP” on that of statutory boards and Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs).

According to the Council for Board Diversity (CBD), the top 100 primary-listed companies had women holding 21.5 per cent of board seats at the end of 2022, while statutory boards and IPCs both surpassed their targets, according to a CBD 2022 annual report. Additionally, the appointment of women to first-time company directorship also reached a record high of 45 per cent.

But tough questions remain.

For one, female representation in senior leadership – that is, those assuming C-suite roles – remains stagnant at a rough 20 per cent on average across the board, according to a 2022 analysis by top accounting firm Deloitte.  

For a medium-sized company, the ratio of women to men assuming roles such as chief executive officer and chief financial officer is around 2:8 and for larger firms, 4:17, based on the report.

In specific sectors, such as STEM, there is still an “evident gender gap”, said Feon Ang, the Asia-Pacific managing director at LinkedIn.

Citing LinkedIn data, Ang said only 37 per cent of entry-level STEM positions in Singapore are held by women and the representation of women in C-level positions is “at a slow 14.5 per cent”. That’s about one woman for every 10 senior male leaders in a medium-sized STEM organisation.

Ang also pointed to the figures in the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Global Gender Gap Report.

According to the report, it will take 131 years to close the gender gap globally at the current rate – only slightly better than the 132 years cited in the 2022 version of the same report.

For context, Singapore ranks at number 49 in terms of achieving full gender parity – same as in 2022. Within Asia-Pacific, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines remain ahead, ranking at 26, 4 and 16 respectively.

“Over the past eight years, the rate of hiring women in leadership roles has been gradually increasing by about 1 per cent per year on a global scale. 

“However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 slowed down this progress and women were more severely impacted by the labour market shock than men,” said Ang, who sits on the board at SkillsFuture.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WOMEN ARE NOT REPRESENTED

The CBD was established in 2019 by the Ministry of Social and Family Development, under the patronage of former President Halimah Yacob.

In its 2022 report, the CBD said it believes that diverse boards are “catalysts to robust governance and better stewardship, and are valuable drivers for growth”.

“Diversity provides the necessary broad-based judgment of risks and opportunities, and access to fresh perspectives for better decision-making, which in turn helps build strong boards and resilient organisations,” it added.

In the long-term, CBD hopes for organisations in Singapore to achieve “equal proportion of men and women directors on boards”.

Willis Towers Watson (WTW), an international company that provides “data-driven, insight-led” solutions to building better boards, worked on a study with the Singapore Institute of Directors in 2020 called the Board Diversity Index.

In it, the organisations looked at diversity on boards across eight different attributes, one of which was gender.

“The central tenet is that it is important for boards to have cognitive diversity, or diversity of thought,” said Shai Ganu, WTW’s managing director for the company’s global Executive Compensation and Governance practice.  

“I’ve never felt that women don't have a voice. Every constituent has a voice, of course, but the voice of a woman is often different from the majority voice. And because of that it warrants paying attention to because that gives you the diversity of thought you need in a board,” he added.

And diversity cannot be achieved when one or more of these attributes is not sufficiently represented. In other words, mere tokenism does not make an effective board.

“Tokenism can impact inclusivity,” said LinkedIn’s Ang.

“When individuals are included solely for optics or to meet a quota, diverse voices may not be genuinely valued or integrated into organisations and society.

“It’s not sufficient to just have one woman on a board of 10 men,” Ganu told CNA Women at the recent Steward Leadership Summit at Shangri-La Hotel.

“Why? Because they often find that once they’ve joined the board, their voice gets drowned out. (Because of) group-think, they end up being the lone contrarian,” he said.

Ganu shared how a friend of his, the only woman sitting on the board of an oil and gas company, and a proponent of environmental sustainability, tried to propose a “green” campaign.

“For three years, she was the lone voice talking about climate change and energy, and every time she brought it up, she was met with machismo – that 'here we go again' attitude.

“What she did next was incredibly brave: Before major board meetings, she would have one-on-ones with male directors, present all the intelligent research she had done, and show them her questions. And she’d ask them to ask these questions on her behalf.

“That’s because when male board directors asked these questions, they got far more discussion time and far more credence,” Ganu said.

“Nobody should be put in this position. No one should need to do this. It was very unfortunate but that was her reality and she used that reality to start to effect change,” he added.

ORGANISATIONAL MINDSET VS INDIVIDUAL MINDSET

What’s blocking progress, both in Singapore and globally, in terms of achieving full gender parity on boards and in senior leadership?

Most of the people CNA Women spoke to said the problems are both systemic and endemic.

Several were of the view that societal biases against women and women’s issues continue to be perpetuated within organisations.

Ganu, whose work at WTW involves educating senior leaders about the importance of having more women in the space, said some continue to hold themselves back by giving excuses.

“You will hear – and I don’t use this term lightly – vapid and ill-thought arguments from some people. For example, (they will say they) don’t have a good enough supply of women with leadership talent.

“I see that as a nonsense response.

“There is a strong enough supply. The issue is demand. Not enough companies are thinking of themselves as stewards and not enough are paying (the right amount of) attention to diversity,” he said.

Ang said that while she acknowledged that progress was being made in women’s leadership, “several common challenges persist”. These include “the motherhood penalty, lack of representation and the stereotype of leadership styles”.

The motherhood penalty, said Ang, refers to women experiencing slower career growth or earning lower salaries due to biases related to motherhood.

“One of the most common barriers that women still face in the workplace today is finding themselves having to choose between their career and family. 

“It’s an experience I personally relate to. Many questions I receive … revolve around how I manage to balance two equally demanding roles: Being a mother of three and a woman in a leadership position within a hyper-growth industry.

“Even though the workplace has progressed since, stubborn gender biases continue to exist,” she said.

Her colleague at LinkedIn, Frank Koo, agreed.

“Women, who tend to shoulder more family care-giving responsibilities, may struggle with the fear of being deemed a ‘maternity risk’ (the risk of being overlooked for career growth opportunities due to potential pregnancy) by companies and passed on for promotional opportunities at work,” said the company’s Head of Asia for Learning and Talent Solutions.

He also observed that “when women are decisive, they may be labelled as abrasive or bossy”.

“However, if a man exhibits similar behaviours, they are likely to be seen as strong-minded or determined.”

These are “some of the biggest barriers women face” in the workplace today and these are “deeply entrenched systemic biases by organisations, as well as unconscious biases and inherent prejudices by individuals”, said Koo.

These barriers show up in the numbers.

Koo pointed out that in research done by LinkedIn in 2022, men in Singapore are 42 per cent more likely than women to be promoted internally into leadership positions, with 64 per cent of leadership roles held by men.

“Additionally, we found that although women may rise to their first leadership position faster than their male colleagues, the window of opportunity – the period of time in which an employee may capture opportunities to be promoted to leadership positions – is limited between the two genders.

“In Singapore, this window is nine years for women and 10 years for men,” he said.

Roshni Mahtani Cheung, CEO and founder of TheAsianParent, calls this situation “frustrating”.

“Women still need to prove themselves more than is required from their male counterparts … Opportunities don’t open as much for us because while we think we’re getting closer and closer to breaking the glass ceiling for women in leadership, we still do face many barriers that keep us from getting close enough to tap that glass,” said Cheung, who sits on the board of the Singapore Repertory Theatre.

One barrier, she said, is gender bias.

“Men, despite how women work just as hard and smart, get promoted faster and receive more pay.”

LACK OF CONFIDENCE OR “OVER-CONFIDENCE”?

Cheung also brought up something else – another recurring theme we noticed in our conversations with women leaders – a lack of confidence.

There is a “confidence gap that overshadows women’s competence”, she said.

“Studies have shown that it’s women’s low self-confidence that keeps them from progressing, while conversely, men’s high self-esteem – despite them being on the same level of competence as women – bolsters their success,” she added.

Cheung recently had a conversation about gender parity at work with Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo and President of United Women Singapore Georgette Tan Adamopoulos, as part of LinkedIn’s At the Table video series.

Speaking to CNA Women, Tan Adamopoulos reinforced that for most women, competency was not a barrier to their progress.

“Rather than specific skills or experiences, it’s about building their confidence to step up, take on different roles and demand a seat at the table,” said Tan, who has been a board member at BoardAgender for seven years.

“Part of the reason for the lack of confidence is because we, as women, do not talk about our accomplishments. By actively driving such conversations, we give other women, especially younger women, something to aspire to,” she said.

However, the CEO of Stewardship Asia Centre, which led the recent summit at Shangri-La Hotel, disagreed with this view.

When asked if a lack of confidence was an issue, Rajeev Peshawaria said: “Absolutely not.

“The lack of confidence is both a man’s and a woman’s issue … I think, ‘What if I lose it? What if I don’t get it?’. That’s lack of confidence,” he said.

Peshawaria, who has held senior leadership positions in top corporations like American Express, The Coca-Cola Company and Morgan Stanley, pressed that the main issue was purpose – and the set of values that would come with it.

“I’ve studied leadership for 30 years now and written several books on it. I have found that women actually make better leaders than men but there’s a conditionality: They must want to,” he said.

“Women are made to be better leaders. Leadership requires tough love – you need to be tough when you have to be tough and you need to give love when it is needed, and you need to do both at the same time – women are much better than men at doing that.

“(Men) can either do tough or they can do love. They are just not capable (of doing both),” Peshawaria added.

Ganu spoke of a recent study in which an ad was posted for an “impossible-to-fulfil role”. The results were stunning – and startling.

The majority of applicants were men, even when most did not fulfil even half of the requirements presented. For example, many who applied fulfilled at most six out of 10 requirements. When women who were invited to apply but didn’t were asked why they didn’t, they said they lacked two of the qualifications needed.

This points to, Ganu agreed, a lack of not simply confidence, but “over-confidence”, when it comes to women advocating for themselves.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO ACHIEVE FULL GENDER PARITY?

All experts’ views considered, it appears that to break down the limiting mindsets that are blocking progress, a considered attack needs to come from all sides.

The work of platforms such as the CBD, SID and WTW helps to educate organisations on the negative impact of neglecting diversity. It holds them accountable in the form of publicly available reports and ranking systems.

It also involves training women who qualify for and aspire to board directorship.

WTW, for example, partners with SID on a board readiness programme – introduced earlier this year – that aims to “exemplify what good directorship looks like and (how important it is to have) stewardship as the mindset of a good director”, said Ganu.

The programme, as with several others that are ongoing now, focuses on women.

Why?

“Part of it is to overcome the naysayers (who make the excuse of there) not being a good enough supply of female talent,” Ganu told CNA Women.

“Our first cohort has a group of around 30 or so women in tech going through a year-long intensive training programme. We intend to use that as a springboard to dispel those who claim they don’t have a pool of qualified female directors.

“So, we will have, in short order, a certified, qualified and diversified pool of (women) having gone through the most exhaustive and comprehensive training in Singapore’s history,” he added.

Women can also look to volunteering on the boards of non-profit organisations, said Ahmad Firdaus Daud, a lawyer and board member at *SCAPE.

While largely an unpaid position, being a non-profit board member helps give executives visibility, increasing their chances of future consideration as a corporate board director.

For example, he said, the Centre for Non-Profit Leadership run by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre has its BoardMatch programme, which matches senior executives with at least five years of management and leadership experience from both the public and private sectors, to the boards of non-profit organisations.

Ganu said research has proven there is a correlation between golf club memberships and board directorships, but said he’d rather comment from a “glass half-full” perspective.

“Ideally, you want to see the emphasis on training directors, full-stop. Directorship appointments still happen through a networking process so we intend on (this programme creating) platforms that give (women) access to networks,” he said.

The platforms, he persisted, would be “neither old, nor boys, nor clubs – just platforms”.

The women approached for this story agreed.

LinkedIn’s Ang said: “The belief that women need extra training from a skills standpoint to become board directors may not be entirely accurate. However, training may be a beneficial vehicle in helping to boost confidence or building a network of like-minded peers.”

But in terms of creating an environment ripe for diversity of thought, the common theme was not so much training but allyship – both at the organisational and individual levels. LinkedIn, for example has courses that help both men and women become “better allies in driving conversations on diversity and inclusion”, such as Skills for Inclusive Conversations, Unconscious Bias, and Becoming a Male Ally at Work, which share “practical tips on how we can all help to champion women at the workplace”.

“By implementing formal, gender-friendly policies and mentoring programmes, we can empower and better support our community of women in their professional growth,” said Ang.

Koo, who said he identified as a male ally to women, said he “sees an ally as someone who holds an everyday commitment to equity and demonstrates that by supporting their female counterparts in the workplace”.

“This can show up in big and small ways. For example, even seemingly small gestures such as connecting women with other professionals or celebrating their achievements can go a long way in helping them grow in their careers.

“On an organisational level, implementing policies such as providing women with flexible working schedules can also help support working mothers,” said Koo, who is part of Career Ally Network, an initiative by Career Navigators, a subsidiary of Mums@Work Singapore, and LinkedIn.

“More than just networking, true allyship is about forming genuine connections and being advocates for each other. It takes a village to elevate women to leadership positions – we all have a part to play in each other’s successes,” Ang added.

Several experts also narrowed the solution down to cultivating the right family values.

“Navigating gender stereotypes is not easy,” said Tan Adamopoulos. “Start with the family, make your struggle personal – take it home to your father, uncles, brothers, sons and so forth. Talk about what you’ve experienced or are experiencing, and how this has impacted you. 

“Men can be our greatest allies and by talking to them we can create dialogue and discussion that go far beyond ourselves.”

Peshawaria had a similar, but sterner sentiment.

“Every parent wants their children to grow up and be great leaders. But instead of grooming them as leaders, we raise them to become followers from when they’re very young,” he said, citing examples such as only rewarding children when they obey, both at home and in school.

“Compliance is followership,” he pressed. “Not leadership.”

Ultimately, however, it all boils down to the individual, according to Peshawaria.

“I’ve worked with some women leaders – phenomenal. When (women) decide they want to be changemakers, when they decide in their own minds that they are not inferior to anybody else – and that in fact, they’re better – magic happens,” he said. 

Everyone, including women, should question their life purpose: “Why am I here? And what will happen as a result of my being my best self, besides being the best mum and the best wife in the world?”

Saying you want to be a good parent is not enough, Peshawaria pressed. “That’s basic. (Women) are capable of much more and we must encourage them to find that.

“Once women wake up, they are more powerful – no question about it. But it’s either we don’t let them wake up or they themselves don’t wake up.”

On that note, Cheung urged women who aspire to board directorship to make themselves seen. 

“Advocate for yourself. Don’t wait for an invitation to join the board. Shamelessly communicate your interest in joining and why they would benefit from having you,” she said.